The only true weak spot of Arrietty is Henrie, the voice of Shawn. As the title character, Mendler really carries the film, providing the lion’s share of dialogue and exposition, and Arrietty’s pure determinism shines in Mendler’s every shout. The 19-year-old actress pulls off voicing the energetic and plucky Borrower with aplomb, displaying all the quintessential moxie, grit and optimism of a Studio Ghibli heroine. The real break out performance, however, is Mendler as Arrietty. With a grunt and a sigh Arnett is able to convey Pod’s fears as effectively as his motor-mouth wife, and for fans there’s an extra fun thrill of seeing the married Poehler and Arnett playing husband and wife. As odd as it is to cast Arnett in a non-comedic role his turn as the ultra-serious Pod is equally compelling. Poehler especially nails Arrietty’s passive-aggressive mother Homily, hilariously sighing and muttering loud prayers for safety every time her husband or daughter turns around. ![]() Poehler and Burnett provide the laughs as their characters panic, plot and yell their way through the movie. ![]() However, the two quickly find there are serious repercussions to breaking the Borrower code, and for the next 94 minutes the film takes audiences on a ride through two disparate but equally fantastic worlds, connected by sugar cubes, danger and a pair of lonely children.Īs with previous Disney/Studio Ghibli releases, the voice dub cast is star-packed and surprisingly good. The human and Borrower worlds intersect as Arrietty and Shawn befriend each other, letting curiosity override fear. Most dangerous of all, in their eyes, are the curious and often cruel human beans, and they impress on Arrietty the importance of remaining unseen: If a human bean should glimpse her, their entire family could be in jeopardy. When death could come from a hungry bird, a bored cat, or from simply falling off a kitchen table, Arrietty’s parents are understandably strict with the young girl. Fourteen and chaffing at her parents’ restrictions - they’re played by a hilariously neurotic Amy Poehler and a surprisingly gruff Will Arnett - Arrietty is impatient to join her father in borrowing, that is, sneaking into the human house to “borrow” food and other items. A Borrower, a tiny person no bigger than the bugs and mice that scurry past her home, Arrietty and her family live in Aunt Jessica’s basement, hidden from the occupants above. There he tries to spot Arrietty, the tiny girl he glimpsed upon his arrival at the cottage.Īrrietty (Bridgit Mendler of Wizards of Waverly Place) is also keeping an eye on Shawn. This delightful 2D tale begins with the “human beans,” as Arrietty’s family calls them: Sickly 12-year-old Shawn (voiced by Disney star David Henrie) comes to stay with his Aunt Jessica and her housekeeper Hara (Carol Burnett) where, under strict orders to rest, the lonely boy confines himself to the garden. theaters Friday, the Disney English dub gives Americans the chance to fall as effortlessly in love with the captivating story as international audiences did. In that moment, time freezes as both the boy and the audience realize they’ve caught a glimpse of something magical: the opening scenes of Studio Ghibli’s charming animated masterpiece The Secret World of Arrietty.Īn adaptation by Disney and Studio Ghibli of English author Mary Norton’s classic children’s book series The Borrowers, The Secret World of Arrietty is a film both uniquely Japanese and universally appealing.ĭirected by longtime Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi from a screenplay by anime legend Hayao Miyazaki ( Princess Mononoke, Ponyo), Arrietty was released two years ago in Japan, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2010. Sudden movement in the garden catches his eye, and he gasps as a mouse-sized girl darts down a plant stalk. In the quiet Japanese countryside a boy stands outside an overgrown cottage. The Secret World of Arrietty, an animated adaptation of The Borrowers from Disney and Studio Ghibli, is a thoroughly enchanting tale of life, love and loss when you’re three inches tall.
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